POLICE have transported Chief Mukuni’s wife, Veronica Mukuni, back to Southern Province, Choma, as the courts in Lusaka did not have jurisdiction to handle her matter, lawyer Marshal Mubambe Muchende has said.

In an interview, Wednesday, Muchende said the police deliberately made an error to intimidate her so that they could solicit information regarding the disappearance of Pheluna and Milton Hatembo.

“The position is that her majesty the queen Veronica Mukuni was ferried back to Southern province, Choma in particular at 3:30 pm this afternoon; for the most part because of what I stated yesterday that the magistrate courts here in Lusaka have no jurisdiction to entertain or to make an inquiry on criminal allegations that pertain to what happens in Southern Province, in Choma or Livingstone. A magistrate court has power to make an inquiry on a criminal offence that has happened within its territorial jurisdiction. So, you cannot move a suspect from Livingstone to Lusaka, that is an error of judgement, sort of a comedy of error. So, basically that is what happened, there was a serious error and on hindsight the police realised that it was a grave error to bring her here,” he said.

“Now, the other side of looking at it as to why she should have been brought here on the assumption that they know the law. Of course, they know the law, they are the custodian of the law. The other side, the narrative which is flushable is that they are just trying to torture her. They are trying to intimidate her by keeping her as far away from the family as possible. Keeping her as far away from her support system, her husband as possible to bring untold misery and anguish on her. So that they subdue her and elicit whatever they would like to get from her which in itself is very unfair.”

Muchende meanwhile, warned Zambians to be careful with the kind of politicking from FDD president Edith Nawakwi, who he said was seeking avenues of fixing her opponents.

“At the end of the day it was the waste of natural resources, it was a waste of time, it was stressful on the suspect to bring her here when there was actually no basis upon which they should have brought her here. So, they got back to their senses and took her back but as of yesterday they declined to grant her bond opting that they will fast track her appearance in court so that I apply for bail. So tomorrow the expectation is that she will appear in a magistrate court in Choma and I will move a motion for her bail,” he said.

“Now, besides this criminal issue, I want to make a comment that we should be careful with the politics of the likes of Edith Nawakwi which is fond of making wild allegations against her political contenders. Now, that politics is cheap politics, can we talk about politics of development as opposed to always looking for a reason as to why your opponents must be arrested. This morning Nawakwi was heard on radio saying that the Hatembo’s are actually abducted at Hakkainde Hichilema’s house. She is confusing the police. And that’s why I am saying that as a country let’s be careful with her type of politics, can the police be careful with Nawakwi’s type of politics. The police must not be seen to advance her agenda.”